Kuiper on Avoiding the Pitfalls and Perils
In chapter 4 of As To Being Reformed, R. B. Kuiper outlined what he saw as the perils facing the Christian Reformed Church in 1926. They were as follows:
- Modernism
- Fundamentalism
- Worldliness
- Orthodoxism (dead orthodoxy)
- Confessionalism
- Legalism
- Uniformity
At the conclusion of the chapter he briefly discusses the way forward:
One word says it all. That word is Spirituality.
If we are led by the Spirit of truth, we shall avoid the pitfall of Modernism and the one-sidedness of Fundamentalism.
If we are controlled by the Spirit of holiness, we shall flee from the sin of worldliness.
If we have the Spirit of Christ, we shall be, not merely orthodox, but Christian as well, and thus escape orthodoxism.
If the Spirit of God dwells in us, we shall ever esteem God’s Word more highly than that of the church and so steer clear of confessionalism.
If God’s free Spirit be ours, we shall be free from the sin of legalism.
And paradoxical though it may seem, if we all have one Spirit, we shall differ from each other and yet agree. With diversity in form we shall ‘keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’
There is nothing that the Christian Reformed Church needs quite so much as a spiritual revival. (70)
